Prepping your diapers before use:

Now that you have new diapers, you need to get them ready for use for your little one.  In order to achieve maximum absorbency and to be clean for your new arrival, they must be washed:

• AIOs: wash and dry once before use
• Fitteds: wash 1-3 times before use
• Covers/pocket diapers: wash and dry once before use
• Microfiber inserts/doublers: wash and dry once before use
• Prefolds/hemp inserts: wash in HOT water 4-6 times, then once more without detergent.  Dry in dryer on high heat.

Cloth Diaper Washing Suggestions

There are almost as many washing tricks as there are people, but most involve the same key elements:

• An initial cold rinse (washes gunk off and prevents stains from setting)
• A hot wash cycle to sanitize
• An extra rinse cycle to ensure all detergent is rinsed off
• Dry on medium heat or line dry

By far the #1 most common mistake is using too much detergent, thinking that this will make the diapers cleaner.  The opposite is actually true.  Detergents attract waste and carry it out into your wash water and away from your clothes, but too much detergent will cause buildup on your diapers and eventually cause your diapers to smell bad, since it will also attract the bacteria from the waste in your diapers.  For my front-loading machine I only need ½ teaspoon of detergent, which is far less than most standard “scoops” that come with the detergent box.  I suggest using a kitchen measuring spoon to measure your detergent, and use the least amount possible.  You will know you are using too little if your diapers still are dirty after a wash cycle, but in general people have far more problems from using too much detergent rather than not enough.

The main thing about cloth diapers is that you want to avoid buildup, whether of detergent or other residues.  Because of this, there are a few things to avoid:

• Bleach (unnecessary and causes breakdown of elastic in diapers)
• Fabric softeners (leaves residue on diapers, causing them to repel liquids and leak)
• Most “free and clear” detergents (they are "free and clear" of common allergens but not of additives altogether)
• Dreft

Recommended detergents:

• Rockin' Green (available in our store)
• Allen’s Naturally
• Country Save 
• Mountain Free and Clear
• Planet
• Purex (available at many dollar stores)

Many of the above detergents are available at natural food type stores or Whole Foods.

A note about diaper creams:

Choosing cloth diapers should dramatically reduce the amount of diaper rashes your baby develops; however, in the rare instance that a baby develops a rash, there are some preferred diaper rash creams.  Some of the commercially available creams will leave residues on your diapers.  Here are the ones specifically designed with cloth diapers in mind:

• California Baby (available in our store)
• Angel Baby Bottom Balm
• Grandma El’s
• Northern Essence Diaper Salve
• Northern Essence Better Butter Cream